Propelling and braking mechanism.



' Patented Dec. I2, |899. G. BEEKMAN. PRDPELLING AND BRKING MEGHANISM.

(Applcationled Dec. 28, 1898.)

2 Sheets--Sheet l.

(No Model.)

M T m y N l WITNESS A Tra/MEV S PHOTO-nwo. Amman-.m n c No. 638,693.Patented Dec. l2, |899.

G. BEEKMAN.

PROPEL'LING AND BRAKING MEGHANISM.

(Application. led Dec. 2S, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I WQ. gerard eekma/L.

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UNITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

GERARD BEEKMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROPELLING AND BRAKING lVl ECHANISIVI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,693, dated December12, 1899.

Application filed December 28, 1898. Serial No. 700,506. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GERARD BEEKMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvem ents in Propelling and Braking Mechanismfor Cycles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain structural improvements inbicycle-propelling mechanism analogous in principle to that shown anddescribed in Letters Patent No. 592,230, grantedto me October 2G, 1897.

In my aforesaid patent I have described mechanism provided with pedalsseparately connected through the medium of clutch mechanism to thetubular driving-shaft, so as to drive the shaft forward by thedepression of the alternately-descending pedals through the automaticaction of the clutch mechanism or to provide means for pedal-brakin g byfootpressure applied to both pedals or when the pedals are held toautomatically release the rotary hollow shaft for coasting.

My present invention provides these facilities under an improved andsimplified construction.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a partof thisspecification, Figure l represents a cross-section through the frame ofa bicycle, showing the internal construction of the shaf"hanger and thetubular driven shaft and driving-crank hubs mounted therein. Fig. 2 is atransverse section of the same on line 2 2, Fig. l. Figs. 3 and 4 aredetail views of vthe automatic clutch-operating mechanism, Fig. 3 beinga face view and Fig. 4 a side View thereof. Fig. 5 is a View similar toFig. l, showing a modification.

Referring to Figs. l to 4, A represents the crank-hanger, which isrigidly mounted in the frame of a bicycle in the customary manner.

B represents the rotary driven element or hollow shaft, mounted in thesaid hanger through the medium of ball-bearings b in customary manner.

is the sprocket-wheel, mounted on the tubular shaft B.

O O' represent the pedal-cranks, oppositely disposed, as usual, on theaxis of rotation and having hubs c c', respectively, extending withinthe driven hollow shaft B, the said hub members and the surroundinginterior surface of the hollow shaft B in which they are contained beingof frusto-conical form, as clearly shown in Fig. l, so that when the hubmembers are forced together toward the center theywill tend to grip theconical interior surface of the hollow shaft and when forced outwardwill release the same, so as to permit free relative rotation betweenthe crank-hubs and between the respective crankhubs and the hollowshaft. Inserted in the longitudinal angular recess in the conicalsurface of each of the hub members c c' is a friction-clutch roller c,which in the forward rotation of the respective cranks for propellingpurposes is forced outwardly against the surrounding interior surface ofthe hollow shaft B, so as to produce effective driving friction betweenthe opposed surfaces of the hub members c c andthe said hollow shaft.The hub member c is constructed with a longitudinal prolongation c2concentric with the axis, eX- tending within the hub member c', so as toconfine the said hub members to relative concentric movement. 'Ihe hubmembers are, furthermore, tied together by a central bolt G, formed witha head g to confine the hub member c and its crank-arm O', the said boltG being screwed permanentlyinto the hub member c, as shown at g', andclamped in the desired adjusted position by a clam p-n ut gwhich engagesthe threaded reduced end of bolt Gand seats in a shoulder in the hub c.A spiral or cup spring F,surrounding the reduced portion c2 of theclutch member c, bears outwardly against the .opposed shoulders of thesaid clutch members, as shown in Fig. l, so as to tend to force themapart.

Upon the extremity of the extension c2 of the clutch member c is mounteda clutch-disk p, formed on its inner face with angular or inclinedrecesses, as represented in Fig. 4, and a corresponding recessed disk qis mounted in the hub member c of the crank O'. Within the cavitiesformed by the recesses p q of the respective clutch-disksp q arefrustoconical rollers r. To permit the relative adjustment of therecessed clutch-disksp q, the clutch-disk p, which is confined by thehead g of the central bolt G, is fitted to slide bya tongue and grooveconnection T upon eX'- tremity c2 of the hub member c, so that by l'OOturning the bolt G in the hub member c the clutch-disks p q may be setcloser together upon the interposed conical clutch-rollers r.

From the above construction it will be apparent that any lexure orrelative angular movement between the cranks Oand C' causes the inclinedsurfaces of the clutch-disks p q to bear on the interposedfrusto-conical rollers r to force the hub members c c' togetherlongitudinally (against the tendency of spring F) with wedge-like actionbetween their conical surfaces andthe internal conical surfaces of thetubular shaft B, and hence the simultaneous downward pressure of thefeet on both pedals will produce abrakin g effect upon the tubularshaft. If the crank-arms are held by the feet with equal pressure, notsufficient to compress spring F and iiex the crank-arms on their axis ofrotation, the hub members are automatically held outwardly by theinterposed helical spring F releasing the tubular driving-shaft B andallowing the wheel to run free, as in coasting. A successive downwardpressure of the feet on the cranks in the pedaling action locks the hubto the hollow shaft through clutch-rollers fz), so as to produce thedesired propelling action. The interposed spring F should be soconstructed as to compress or expand along the axis of the pedal-shaftsstiftly, but turn readily around said axis, thus allowing the omissionof the antifriction-bearings shown in my prior patents.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a slight modification. The extension c2 of hubmember c is omitted, and the tie-bolt G, of larger diameter than in Fig.1, passes through hub members c c and is splined into the hub member cat g3, so as to move positively with it in a rotary direction. The hubmember c is formed with an internal longitudinal groove c3 to allow thespline g3 to pass through when the parts are assembled, the tie-bolt Gbeing then turned one-halfa revolution in the hub member c/ to bring thespline into position to engage the spline-groove in the hub member c.The tie-bolt is confined by the nut N and clamp-nut N engaging it and ashoulder in the hub member c. The clutch members 5o 1J q arerespectively formed integral with the disposed pedals C, C' havingfrusto-conical hub members c, c extending within the hollow shaft andcapable of limited relative longitudinal and rotary movement, therecessed clutch members p, q secured respectively to the hub members c,c', the clutch-rollers 7', interposed between clutch members p, q, andthe tie-bolt G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the hollow shaft B converging in internal diameterfrom each end toward the center, the truste-conical hub members c, c'having relative longitudinal movement within the hollow shaft andcapable of limited relative rotary movement, said hub member c having aprojection c2 extending concentrically within the member c', therecessed clutch-disk p mounted on the extremity of the hub projectionc2, the opposed recessed clutch-disk q, mounted in the hub member c',the rollers r interposed between the recessed faces of the disks p, q,and the tie-bolt G, whereby relative rotary movement of the hub membersforces them together within the surrounding conically-formed hollowshaft B, as explained.

3. The combination of the hollow shaft B converging in internal diameterfrom each end toward the center, the truste-conical hub members c, c themember c having an extension c2 within the member c', the recessedclutch-disk p mounted adj ustably on the extremity of the extension c2,the bolt G conning the clutch-diskp adj ustably on the end of the hubextension c2, the recessed clutchdisk q mounted in the recess in the hubmember c', and the interposed clutch-rollers r, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the hollow shaft B converging in internal diameterfrom each end toward the center, the hub members c, c' having relativelongitudinal movement and limited relative rotary movementthe automaticclutch mechanism p, q, r by which they are moved relatively endwise bytheir relative rotary movement, the tie-bolt G, and an interposed springF tending to force them longitudinally outward, as and for the purposeexplained.

5. The combination of the hollow shaft B converging in internal diameterfrom each end toward the center, the hub members c, c', the clutchmechanism p, q, r tending to force them longitudinally inward by theirrelative rotary movement, the clutch-rollers fu mounted in angularrecesses in the peripheries of the hub members c, c respectively, andthe tie-bolt G, as and for the purpose set forth.

GERARD BEEKMAN.

Witnesses:

WMQE. KNIGHT, M. V. BIDGooD.

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